The X-ray binaries in M83: will any of them form gravitational wave sources for LIGO/VIRGO/KAGRA?

Abstract

There are 214 X-ray point-sources ($L_{\mathrm{X}}>10^{35}erg/s$) identified as X-ray binaries (XRBs) in the nearby spiral galaxy M83. Since XRBs are powered by accretion onto a neutron star or a black hole from a companion/donor star these systems are promising progenitors of merging double compact objects (DCOs): black hole - black hole (BH-BH), black hole - neutron star (BH-NS), or neutron star - neutron star (NS-NS) systems. The connection (i.e. XRBs evolving into DCOs) may provide some hints to the yet unanswered question: what is the origin of the LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA mergers? Available observations do not allow to determine what will be the final fate of the XRBs observed in M83. Yet, we can use evolutionary model of isolated binaries to reproduce the population of XRBs in M83 by matching model XRBs numbers/types/luminosities to observations. Knowing the detailed properties of M83 model XRBs (donor/accretor masses, their evolutionary ages and orbits) we follow their evolution to the death of donor stars to check whether any merging DCOs are formed. Although all merging DCOs in our isolated binary evolution model go through the XRB phase (defined as reaching X-ray luminosity from RLOF/wind accretion onto NS/BH above $10^{35}$ erg/s), only very few XRBs evolve to form merging (in Hubble time) DCOs. For M83 with its solar-like metallicity stars and continiuous star-formation we find that only $\sim 1-2\%$ of model XRBs evolve into merging DCOs depending on the adopted evolutionary physics. This is caused by (i) merger of donor star with compact object during common envelope phase, (ii) binary disruption at the supernova explosion of donor star, (iii) formation of a DCO on a wide orbit (merger time longer than Hubble time).

17 pages, 8 figures, submitted to A&A; typos corrected, 7 figures added, sections Results and Discussion extended

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